About this course

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree at Honours level, or equivalent. English GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent), Maths GCSE Grade C or above (or equivalent), Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, School-based experience. You must possess a minimum 2:2 honours degree or equivalent in the subject for which you are applying to teach or a degree of which at least 50% is in that subject. A levels in the subject and/or related subjects are desirable. Applicants whose first language is not English and who do not have GCSE grade C in English need to have IELTS with an average score of at least 6.0. All applicants should have recent and relevant experience of working with children in a mainstream UK school in the phase for which they are applying. All entrants must have passed the professional skills tests prior to entry.

Months of entry

September

Course content

About the course

Develop as a highly qualified, effective and confident teacher of art and design, studying with a specialist to gain the knowledge and skills to use a variety of different approaches to teaching your specialist subject; and achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Intermediate qualifications available:

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education

Key features

Study on a course designed to enable you to join a challenging and rewarding profession – becoming an effective and inspiring teacher who draws on broad subject specific knowledge and secure understanding of teaching and learning theories - with the knowledge and skills to lead learning and initiate change in educational settings.

Explore your understanding of teaching and learning secondary art and design, as you apply your subject knowledge and expertise to planning teaching and managing the art and design classroom; honing your skills of critical self-evaluation and improvement.

Develop your creativity and team-working skills, preparing you to influence and lead in educational settings and enhancing your own sense of independence.

Gain confidence in analysing the evidence of your own practical experience during placements in schools, informing your future actions as you evaluate the impact of applying theory to your teaching practice.

Benefit from a qualification that gives you recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), enabling you to gain employment in a school, with opportunities for continuous development through further study at MA/MSc, MPhil, PhD and EdD levels.

The University's Bedford campus is home to one of the largest education providers in the UK. We have well-established links with more than 500 schools across the Eastern Region which means that we are constantly at the forefront of educational developments. The quality of our provision is based on a long and established history of teacher education.

During the course you will spend around 70% of your time in placement schools where you will be trained across the 11-16 age range. You will develop the skills and knowledge to teach art and design in a creative and imaginative way, using a variety of different approaches. You will also engage with relevant research literature and develop the skills of a reflective and research informed practitioner.

You will attend subject-specific sessions, lectures and seminars, which are designed to develop awareness and understanding of professional issues, the nature and content of the art and design curriculum and the role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching of art and design, and issues such as planning and assessment.

You will obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and up to 60 Masters level credits.

Areas of study

The Professional Teacher

The Reflective Teacher*

The Research Informed Teacher*

The Subject Specialist (Secondary Art and Design)

*denotes units that can be assessed at Masters level

Career prospects

Local and national demand for University of Bedfordshire graduate teachers is high. Annual destinations surveys show that 90% of graduate teachers will have secured full-time teaching posts to begin in the year of graduation, with a further 9% working in part-time teaching positions.

The course is framed by a commitment to help you to develop the characteristics of a University of Bedfordshire graduate teacher. You will be challenged to explore theories of teaching and learning and to examine the implications of such theories for your own development.

On completion of the course you will have the appropriate attitude, knowledge, skills and understanding to meet the needs of the children’s and schools’ workforce agenda and to lead learning and initiate change in educational settings.